Polyester or linen, what is the most archival surface to paint on?

[Tricia Migdoll]

Sharon, once again i am pricking up my ears at your words.

Your mention of Dorland's wax medium had me google & buy some.
Alas - any idea how to make a "thin" layer.? Does one dilute it with something.?

This has come at an appropriate time for me as i am very dissatisfied with my retouch varnish (damar) as a finish for gallery presence. I am however happy with the damar final varnish - but who can wait.?!!

Any info regarding this would be appreciated. Perhaps it should be in a separate thread. Please feel free to move it if necessary.

thank you

tricia

[Steve Craighead]

Hey Sharon, have you thought about doing any of your large pastels on this polyester fabric? Steve

[Steven Sweeney]

Could you double-check that link while you're still here? It doesn't seem to go through.

[Steve Craighead]

I just did a google search on Ross Merrill and the pastel subtrate issue and couldn't find it the the 5 minutes I looked. I would be interested in reading it. Personally, I don't like using pastel on hard surfaces and I don't really like that material they call pastel cloth either. I think stretching polyester would a good solution. I don't know about the archivalness of working on a cloth. I do know there is a Manet pastel drawn on primed linen at the Metropolitan Museum that looks none the worse for wear.

[Tom Edgerton]

Somebody else to talk to, perhaps, is Jack Pardue. He's been doing pastels on what appears to be unprimed linen for years, but that's all I know about it. I've not actually seen his work "in the flesh."

[Steve Craighead]

I'll have to try out your method. I've never used an airbrush. Is it possible to spray the matte finish with a very fine pumice as part of the mixture?

[Tom Edgerton]

Sharon--

One point of clarification: I'm not sure Jack's working on stretched linen...it may be adhered to a panel, I don't know. It is easy to see how fabric on a stretcher would be unsuitable for a dry medium.